Brick or tile machine



s sheets-sheet 1.

(No Model.)

' J. I. KNAPP, J. C. MGKBNZIE 8u W. HUMPHR'EY.

BRICK OR TILE MACHINE.

7 A mf? L wwf. 1 NZ? E 7. j... m wf s. e rmw n Jr@ n.1,

' WITNESSES cZmnJZ/M ttorney 8 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. I. ENAP/Pf J.. C. MGKENZIE' 8: WL HUMPHREY.

.BRICK 0R .TILE MACHINE.

Patented June 14, 1887.

WITNESSES (No Model.)

3 Sheeiss--Sheet 3.v .J. I. KNAPP, J. C. MGKENZIE 8u W. HUMPHREY.

BRICK 0R TILE MACHINE.

No. 864,828. .Patennedune 14, 1887.

Pinzas. Pnmunngnpw, www. c.

' UNITED 'STATES' .PATENT einen.

JOHN I. HNAPP, JOSEPH o. MOKENZIE, AND wILLIAM HUMPHHEY, OF

ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

BRICK OR TILE MACHINE.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,826, dated J une 14, 1887.

Application filed September 23, 1886. Serial No. 214,376. (No model.)

. ful Improvements in Brick and Tile Machines,

of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention 4relates to improvements in brick and tile machines.

The object of our invention is to improve in several essential features the well-known Mc- Kenzie machine; and to this end our invention consists in locating in the feed hopper a plunger or feeder, which forces the clay down `into the grinding-chamber and prevents the same from clogging in the hopper.

Our invention consists, further, in placing a disintegrator at the rear end of the die,which breaks up the laminous structure of the clay column and renders it more uniform.

Our invention consists,further, of a lubri-y cating device, substantially as described, located in the die, by means of which the weaker clays are readily made into brick and the stronger and more stubborn 'clays are worked with reduced power. y

Our invention consists, further, of a cutting. table provided with aslatted platform,through which the cutting-wires are, caused to pass, said slats being covered with'rubberior'other suitable material, for a purpose which will be more fully hereinafter explained.

Our invention consists, further, in regulating the tension of the cutting-wires by means of springs or.a.yielding connection, whereby the wires will give when they come in contact with a stone or other obstruction.

Our invention consists, further, in certain details of construction, which will be fully described, and pointed-out in the claims.

In the drawingsrFigure l is a View in perspective of a brick and tile machine with some of our improvements shown. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of our machine, showing the feeder or plunger for forcing the clay down to the pugging-shaft. Fig. 3 is a side view,

partly in section, of the front end of the machine. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the disintegrator. Fig'. 5 is an end view of one of the detachable blades. Fig. 6 `is a view in perspective of the top portion of the cuttingtable. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the wiretightening device. Fig. 8 is a perspective of one of the wire-holding pins. Fig. 9 is a View in perspective of a portion of the stationary table. Figli) is a sectional end viewof a portion of the die, showing the oil-ducts and the valves for controlling the Iiow of the oil to the die.

The auger for forcing the clay through the die, the devices for imparting a rotary motion to the auger, the chamber in which the auger is mounted, and 'the die through which the clay is forced to give form to the clay column are all of the well-known types or forms common to the McKenzie machine, and need not be described in detail at this time. Only such parts will be referred to as will clearly point out the improvements.

A indicates the feed-hopper, into which the clay is fed from suitable reducing or crushing rolls to the auger or screw shaft B.

i C is aplate or plunger secured to the arms D. Said arms may be pivoted at one end, as shownv in the drawings. The arms D may pass th rough the hopper and lie snugly against the inside of eachend of the same, one end of said'arnis' or levers being connected by a rod or bar,--E.

F is a rod or pitman, the upper end of which is bifurcated and secured to the rod or crossbar E, the lower end of said pitman being secured eccentrically to the ydisk G, secured to thefront end of the shaft H, the rear end of said shaft being provided with a pinion-wheel I, which meshes with the gear-wheel K on the outer end of the auger-shaft. It will be noticed that as the shaft H and disk G are revolved the outer ends of the bars D and the plunger or plate C will be moved up and down, which 'not only prevents the clay from sticking to the sides of the feed-hopper, but forces it down into the grinding-chamber, so that it is brought into contact with the mixing-blades and forced forward without interruption hopper, and at the same time insures the forcing through the die of a solid and uniform body ot' clay.

L is a supplemental or false blade or point adapted to fit onto the blades of the auger, so that when these supplemental or false blades become worn they can be replaced by new ones, thus keeping the section-blades of full Size and the machine at all ti nies supplied with sharp full auger-blades.

Mis a disintegrator located in the front end of the mixing or pugging chamber N, between the end of the auger-shaft B and the rear end of the die O. The disintegrator consists of a bar, l?, of metal, having its edges beveled, so as to offer less resistau ce to the column of clay. The bar l? is provided with a series of transverse bars, a, which serve to break up the laminous structure of the clay column, caused by the rotation of the auger. The rear end of the die O is provided with an internal duct or cavity, A4, which communicates with the reservoir or vessel R by means of the pipe S, and also with the interior of the die by means of small openings or ducts IB4 at the corners thereof, said duets being opened and closed, or the amount of the lubricant admitted to the column of clay being regulated by means of the valves or cocks T. The reservoir or chamber It is of the well known kind used for this purpose, and need not be further described. Suffice it to say that the pipe S extends up into the reservoir or chamber near to the top of the saine, and when said reservoir is filled with the lubricating compound steam is admitted into the bottom of the chamber R through the pipe U, said pipe being connected to the boiler or other source of pressure. If steam and oil are used, the heat of the steam keeps the lubricant in a fluid or melted condition, and as the oil will float on top of the water produced by the condensed steam a constant supply of oil under pressure will be forced into the duets or passages lead* ing to the die.

V is a glass tube connected at both ends to the chamber R, and by which means the quantity of oil in the chamber can be readily determined. Itis only essentialin making brick from a large solid column of clay that the column should be lubricated, and more especially at the corners, so as to reduce the friction of the same on the die, and by the use of thelubrieator j ust described, in connection with the disintegrator, the weaker clays are readily made into brick, the stronger and more stubborn clays are worked with less power, and the brick produced are of a superior quality, having the texture of the hand-made with the finish of the re-pressed brick, and of much greater strength.

A' is a stationary table located directly in front of the die O, the top of which is provided with a series of rollers, B', and around which is placed an endless band, C', of rubber or other suitable material. The column of clay as it is forced from the die is received on the stationary table A', and the endless belt C' being free to move, the clay column is carried along on the table by the force exerted in the cxpressingscrew to the cutting-table D', suitable vertically-mounted rolls E' serving to guide the clay colulnn in its transit over the stationary table.

D' is the cutting-table, mounted on wheels and adapted to be moved back and forth toward and from the stationary tabled', and the clay column when forward in position for being cut rests on a rubber-covered slatted platform, F'. The slats of the platform are covered with rubber oi other suitable inate rial, the edges of the covers being so close together that they will clean the cutting-wires as they pass down between the rubber strips. By having the yielding rubber strips for supporting the column of clay lwhile it is being cut much larger wires for cutting may be employed without injuring the edges of the brick, and the elastic edges of the strips will allow small stones or lumps to be crowded 'through between them.

G' is a frame in which the cutting-wires are strung, said frame being pivoted to one side of the moving cutting-table. One side ofsaid frame is provided with pins H', to which one end of the cutting-wires is secured. The other end is secured to the hooked pins K' and passed through the other side bar of theeutting-frame. The pins K' are held in position in the frame by means of thumb-nuts L', a coiled spring, lll', being interposed between the side bar and nut, so as to form a yielding or flexible fastening for the wires. rlhe object of this yielding or flexible connection of the wires to the wire-carrying frame is to regulate the tension and allow the wires to yield when brought into contact with stones, roots, or other hard substances, and thus prevent the wires from being broken.

What we claim isl. A brick and tile machine of the charac ter described, the feed-hopper of which is provided with a plunger or reciprocating plate for forcing the clay from the side of the hopper to the mixing-blades of the machine.

2. In a brick or tile machine of the charac ter described, the 'plate or plunger C, secured to the pivoted arms D, and adapted to be reciprocated in the feed-hopper, in combination with the pitman F and devices, substantially as described, for operating the plunger, as set forth.

3. The disintcgrator M, composed of the bar l? and the transverse bars a, the bar l) being adapted to fit in recesses formed in the end of the mixing-chamber, as set forth.

4. A brick or tile machine of the character described, the die of which is provided with oil ducts or cavities which communicate with the interior of the die at the corners thereof Y by suitable ducts, said ducts being controlled by suitable Valves'or cocks, as set forth.

5.' A brick and tile machine of the character described, the brick-die of which is provided With ducts entering the die at the corners thereof, said ducts .being controlled by suitable Valves,r T, in combination with the pipe S, chamber or reservoir R, and steampipe V, as set forth.

6. A cutting-table for brick-machines of the character described, provided with slats, be'- tWeen which the cutting-Wires pass, said slats being covered'with rubber strips or other similar material, which project over the edges of the slats, as set fortha brought in contact With astone, roots, or other hard substances, as set forth.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN I. KNAPP. JOSEPH C. MCKENZIE. WILLIAM HUMPHREY.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL P. DRAW, M. D. HALSEY. 

